A Pragmatic Approach to Macrosocial Theory*

Morris Janowitz has been a major contributor to sociological theory and research over the last live decades. The range of his empirical work and the logic of his theory–based on philosophical pragmatism and opposed to “grand” formulations– obscure the magnitude of his contribution to social theory, despite his pervasive influence on research in particular subfields. This paper provides a brief overview of the logic and substance of Janowitz's contribution to macrosociology which is focused on his concepts of institutional analysis, social control, and institution building. The use of these concepts is illustrated substantively in the light of current trends in the development of advanced industrial society.